10 Tips For Planning Your Web Application

1. Plan for the future
   I know it can be hard, but try and look one year down the track, when your ecommerce project needs to support more than one payment gateway, or your boss decides to switch from MySQL to Oracle database. This point is especially important for database design.

2. Document
   Document everything you can. It's a lot harder trying to document an already built project. Believe me, I'm paying for that mistake now.

3. Don't do unimportant jobs first
   Sometimes it can be hard to focus on the big picture when there are lots of little "fun" things to do. Get stuck into creating the codebase, rather than spending an hour on that "RSS" button.

4. Design your interfaces
   The interface is what your end users will see. If you have a poorly designed interface, your project is doomed to fail, no matter how great your codebase is.

5. Avoid writing your own library/framework if possible
   It's hard fighting urges to create a new framework for every project. The thought of using someone else's framework makes some developers feel dirty, but it's worth it. Finding a suitable library/framework and learning to use it will always be faster than spending weeks building your own.

6. Create a project plan
   I know this one seems obvious, but you would be surprised at how often a project plan isn't written. Make sure everyone working on the project knows what they're supposed to be doing, and when to have it done by. Writing a project plan will also help you identify problems you might encounter in the future.

7. Pick an appropriate language
   Don't get caught up in the hype of new languages. Pick one that everyone on the team is proficient in.

8. Remove yourself from distractions
   It's hard to get into "The Zone" with phone calls interrupting your work flow constantly. Try and set aside a few uninterrupted hours a day to devote to your project. I know this won't always be possible.

9. Enforce quality control from day one
   When first starting a project, a lot of developers tend to slap code together to get a working demo. This is fine if you go back and rewrite the bad code, but every now and then some of it makes it into production. Take some extra time, and do things right.

10. Identify problems that may occur later on in the development process
    Communicate with fellow team members, and talk about your application's design and structure. Some members will have different views on areas of the project. Sitting down and discussing these can avoid conflict 2-3 months down the track.